7 Ways to Network On Twitter
Twitter has grown by leaps and bounds. It’s no longer just a place for teens to Tweet about their shoes, it can also be a great place to network with others. Whether you want to grow your business or connect with people to land a job, Twitter is a great social networking site that every professional should be using. However, it should never be a site that is used solely for the purpose of gain. Taking the time to enhance the Twitter experience of other users can actually make you a more popular Twitter user. Not to mention that you’ll get more out of the experience.
The following are seven ways to network on Twitter.
Account for Your Actions
One mistake people make when using social networking sites is to share opinions that should be kept to themselves. Use Twitter to connect with others without Tweeting about difficult topics, such as politics. What you say on Twitter should be something you’re not afraid to say anywhere else. Of course, Twitter can also be a place to explain your actions. For example, if your business got into the news for something unfavorable, use a Tweet to apologize or explain what went wrong.
Make it Clear What You Want to Talk About
A Tweet shouldn’t be a short grouping of words and hashtags. Your post should be meaningful and capture the attention of readers. A Tweet should never make readers question what the post is about. Think before you Tweet. If you reread your post, does it make sense without further explanation? Consider what users who know nothing about your business would get from the Tweet. If it wouldn’t make sense, you need to tweak your Tweet.
Retweet With a Purpose
People make the mistake of simply retweeting others posts simply because the person shared one their tweets. Instead, you only want to retweet posts that will be of interest to your followers. For example, if you own a business that deals in books, retweet posts about books, reading devices, and other book-related material. Retweeting is a great way to gain more followers and easily share information that is related to your field.
Go the Extra Mile- Show People You Care
It’s important that you show how grateful you are to those that connect with you and retweet your posts. Take the time to send a direct message that isn’t automatic. Automatic direct messages seem impersonal and are a bit annoying. Another great tip is to give a shout-out to new followers by tagging them in a post.
Engage Conversation
Comment on Tweets that interest you and ask questions through your Twitter account. This will cause more people to pay attention to your Tweets and be interested in what you’re going to Tweet next. Twitter should never be a one-sided conversation in which you simply share your links. A great tip is to start conversations about news articles that are related to your business. Ask followers what they think about the story and reply to their comments.
Introduce People- Be a Connector
If you know others that are in the same career field, introduce them to your followers. Tag these people in Tweets and say something about them. For example, let’s say you have a Kindle website and have connected with a number of indie authors. Let your followers know about their work by connecting them. For example a post might read, “@indieauthorsname is a #paranormal #romance #author with 6 #books currently available on #Amazon.”
Be Friendly and Approachable
Don’t be too stiff when using Twitter. Let your personality shine through so that you appear friendly and approachable. This will encourage more people to follow you. For example, share a clean joke every now and then, share a link to your favorite music video, or talk about the book you just read. You want to seem like a real person, rather than just a drone that is sharing links. People want to know that the people they do business with are more than just business-oriented. People want to deal with the average Joe.
Twitter is an excellent social networking platform that professionals can’t afford to pass up. If you want to network with professionals in your field and those that would find your services useful, you need to use Twitter and do so professionally. Consider how you can get the most out of Twitter, while also improving the Twitter experience for others. If you want to give your account a boost in credibility, you might want to do what many have done before and cheat Twitter followers to get your initial numbers up. Be aware that this quick cheat is often over-rated as all it does is increase your numbers and not your engagement, but is still quite popular.
What can you share that they will find interesting? Who should you connect so that other users have more followers? Twitter is a social networking platform that should be a meaningful experience. If you’re using Twitter for the sole purpose of sharing links for your own benefit, you’re not using Twitter properly. Take the time to enhance your Twitter experience and the experience of others.
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Mark Johnson is a freelance writer specializing in social media and online marketing. He has written countless articles for blogs, websites and newspapers in the USA, UK and France.
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